


Those Three Days

by TeaBoss



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Other, crush time, infirmary time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 03:19:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12621988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaBoss/pseuds/TeaBoss
Summary: Will Solace ordered three days of rest in the infirmary for Nico. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, or what it would entail.





	Those Three Days

**Author's Note:**

> We're back, with another story! I would have posted this earlier, but I'm currently at Youmacon (as Nico). Please enjoy the read, and let me know if you like it!

Nico was left alone as soon as they entered the infirmary. To be specific, as soon as Will Solace directed him to a vacant cot, the Apollo head counselor was dragged elsewhere by another healer. Before he left, he had told Nico.

“Duty calls. I’ll be back as soon as I can, so don’t go anywhere.” 

Watching the work in the infirmary, he realized quickly why Will had said ‘as soon as I can’ instead of saying he’d be back. Once one patient was taken care of, another had to be looked at. One after the other for what seemed like hours, Greeks and Romans alike, taking care of every kind of wound under the sun from what Nico could see, along with leaving to make house calls to other cabins or to get more medical supplies, without a break. In the corner of Nico’s mind, he wondered if Will had been on break when he spoke with Nico, using the time that should’ve been to relax instead to make sure he wouldn’t go doing something underworld-ly that’d turn Nico into a ‘puddle of darkness’, as the son of Apollo had put it. Another person to take care of, and for three days.

Three whole days.

The thought gave him skeletal butterflies reviving _again_ as he sat there thinking about it, and he willed away the blush that crept onto his face just as Will walked over to him. The Apollo counselor pulled a stool up to the side of the cot.

“Not thinking of cutting and running, are you? Because if you make me chase after you—” Solace had started to say, until Nico shook his head.

“No! No. I was just…” He trailed off, looking away to a random spot in the infirmary. “I’m staying, I swear.” He finished, looking back to Will, who was staring right at him with pale blue eyes that, despite working almost non-stop for the past three days since the battle, still shone. But Nico wasn’t fooled, he could see the tiredness as well as the shadows forming under his eyes. The idea of making the son of Apollo chase him across the camp seemed too cruel. And Nico knew cruel.

“Good. Now…” Will started, taking Nico's hands and feeling them from his fingertips to his wrists, and then up his arms. “Making sure you won’t disappear into a smoke cloud in the middle of the night.” heir hands were warm, compared to his, and it gave him goosebumps. Nico wanted to pull his arms away, but he knew it wouldn’t do either of them any good. “You’re still pretty cold so—” He pressed his fingers against Nico’s neck, and what he just thought was thrown out the window. 

“Gah!” Nico jumped back at least two feet, and would’ve fallen off the cot had Will not caught him and pulled him back to sit upright again. The counselor didn’t look phased, keeping his hands on Nico's knees for a moment, but he several healers and numerous patients looked their way. Nico slumped where he sat, looking down at his own hands. “Sorry.” 

“No neck touching, noted. It’s alright.” Will lifted his hands up. “Your arms and legs are still cold but not in the danger zone. I’m going to check your torso now, okay?” He explained, and waited until Nico nodded before putting one hand on his back, and the other on the center of his chest before moving to his heart. He didn’t notice Will’s humming until a sense of warmth coming from the hands, spread through his chest as if wiping away any darkness left from his days of shadow-travelling. It lingered after the son of Apollo pulled his hands away. “Your heart rate is pretty fast, but that’s normal.” He stated, grinning subtly like there was a joke Nico was missing. He was tempted to punch him for it, though. But he didn’t. 

“You shouldn’t bother, I’m fine.” That earned a snort.

“As if, just because you aren't going to turn into a puddle doesn’t mean you’re good to go. Three days, di Angelo.” Will reminded him, pointing a finger straight at his face and giving him the same stern look from earlier. “Besides—”

Whatever Will was going to say was interrupted by someone shouting from across the room. A Roman was glaring down at one of the healers while they were reapplying bandages to what he guessed was a friend of theirs, new blood coming from a pulled stitch along their shoulder. 

It looked like there was going to be a fight right in the middle of the infirmary, until Will stood up and walked over, calmly.

Nico couldn’t heard what they were saying, but he decided Will had the power to calm down anyone he met—well, almost anyone. That though could wait until later, though. From the very moment Will Solace walked over and started talking to the Jupiter camper, they looked to be calming down but still trying to argue. Will said something back, gesturing around the infirmary, and it quieted them. Not only that, but a few seconds later the Roman rubbed their eyes and, after a pat on the back from the son of Apollo, went back to sitting by their injured friend's side. 

“What was that about?” Nico asked when Will came back over. 

“Oh, they were just upset.” Will explained, sitting back down. “There’s still a few people from Camp Jupiter that are still really injured and won't be able to go with the rest of them leaving tomorrow. Their friend is one of them.” The counselor gestured. “I just told them that hey, yelling and blaming us won’t do them any good and that they should focus on supporting their friend so they get better faster.” Nico watched as Will slumped, lifting a hand to his shaggy blonde hair and making it look like he had extreme bedhead. He resisted the urge to flatten it.   
“You should—” Nico had started to say, when the dinner bell rang outside. Will stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth. 

“Alright everyone! Those who can, make your way to the dining hall. Those who can’t, we’ll have food brought here, so just rest up!” Solace announced loudly, before sitting back down and looking back at Nico. “Sorry about that, what were you saying?”

“You _shouldn’t_ yell like that. You’re loud enough as it is.” Nico scoffed, looking away from the son of Apollo.

“Is that a compliment?” Nico nearly shoved Will off of the stool for that comment, but only got a laugh in return as they stood up. “Do you want to sit at the Apollo table with me? I can—”

“No! Uh” Nico paused, then shook his head. “I’m going to sit with Jason. He wanted to sit together since we're alone, and I wanted to talk to him about something.” He did his best to ignore the look he was given. “I’ll come back after, I swear.” Nico added, crossing his arms. “ _You_ should worry about yourself, have you eaten anything today?” The sheepish grin he saw when he looked back told him no, he hadn’t. “Idiot, come on.” The two of them left with the rest of them, and soon split up to go to their respective tables. Funnily enough, Nico sat where he could see the Apollo table clearly, and saw that Will Solace had the same idea with his table, waving to him. 

“Hey, Nico!”

His attention was snapped away from the Apollo counselor when Jason came over, along with Hazel. His view was immediately blocked. “How’s it going?” The son of Jupiter asked. 

“Fine.” Nico answered. “Infirmary, very exciting. I heard some of the Camp Jupiter guys say they’re going to miss you. You should visit before they leave tomorrow.”

“Oh. Yeah definitely! I’ll be there.” 

“Why were you in the infirmary?” Hazel questioned, and the look his sister gave him was more than enough incentive not to avoid the question. He started his explanation from the top, with Will Solace telling him that he had to stay in the infirmary for three days. He told them everything from the start, towards now. At some point he trailed off, because over Jason's shoulder he caught sight of Will Solace dozing off, nearly faceplanting into his food had his siblings not caught him. He watched as they moved the plate out of the way, letting their head counselor get some sleep. Nico didn’t realize he had been staring until his tablemates spoke.

“Nico? What’re you—” As soon as the two looked behind them, Nico became very interested in his own plate, furrowing his brows at the food as if trying to will it to life like his zombies. Unfortunately, he didn’t. It would’ve saved him the trouble of the upcoming conversation when he looked back up at his friend and sister.   
Jason didn’t look too shocked. He held his chin under his hand and had a brow raised at him, giving him a look as if waiting for Nico to speak. When he didn’t, Jason started to.

“Nico, do you—”

“No.” Nico snapped at him, lifting a finger at both of them, his glare daring him to say another word. It was shut down when he looked at Hazel, who had her hands over her mouth, but it couldn’t hide the smile behind it. 

“Oh my Pluto, _Nico_! Do you have—”

“ _No_ I do _not_! That’s just—I _don't_! Stop looking at me like that!” Nico muttered, feeling his face heat up when their smiles got even bigger _somehow_. “He's annoying! Loud, bossy! Way too nice! He's just…ugh!” Nico threw his hands up in the air before holding his head with them. “I do not have a crush on him.” He finished. Neither of them looked like they were buying it. 

“Its okay if you do, you know. It’s no biggie.” Jason said, but Nico shook his head. 

“Its not that. I’m _over_ that. It’s nothing like when I had a crush on…” Nico trailed off, but the nod from the son of Jupiter saved him the trouble of finishing the sentence. “So I don’t. End of story.” He muttered, and neither could continue when Chiron made his usual speech. After, he grabbed his plate and ducked away from the table before Hazel or Jason could resume the conversation, dumping the remainder of his food, and plate, into the offering brazier and walking right away from the dining pavilion. 

Nico was more than tempted to go hide in the Hades cabin, but Hazel would be there. As much as he loved his sister, he did not want to start that conversation up again any time soon, nor did he want to break his promise to Will. “Ugh!” He huffed and turned right around to head to the infirmary, only to bump into the son of Apollo himself, awake from his dinner nap. They would have toppled over had Will not caught him, but as soon as they were stable Nico pushed him away. “What are you doing here?!” He snapped at the son of Apollo, who didn’t seem phased.

“I just wanted to check on you, after you booked it away from dinner. What’s up?” Solace said, and the look of concern on his face made Nico feel bad and angry at the same time.

“I’m fine! I’m going back to the infirmary now, so you don’t need to worry about me!” Nico said, walking away back toward the Big House. “Go check on your patients, or something.”

“I am. You’re my patient too, di Angelo.” The Apollo counselor reminded him, running to walk beside him. “So why don’t you knock off the act, and tell me what’s bothering you?” 

“Gods, why are you like this?” Nico muttered, shoving his hand in his pockets and taking a step to the side as they walked, fixating on his worn sneakers. “You don’t have to play nice with me, after what happened on the hill! Just leave me alone!” As soon as the words left him, he felt a tinge of regret. This topic was not something he wanted to bring up like this, but it was too late now. 

“Are you _serious_?!” He heard Will say, and a moment later Nico was grabbed by the arm, halting their walk, and was made to look at the head of the Apollo cabin, who bent down to look face to face with him and did not look happy. “You think I'd hate you over that?” The bewildered look on Nico’s face must’ve been a sign that Will should continue. “Octavian was crazy, and yeah I tried to stop him and you didn’t” Nico flinched. “but he wasn’t going to listen to either of us. Yeah I was mad for a bit after, I still wished things could've gone differently, but I got over it. Maybe you should stop being mad at _yourself_ about it.” That last part stung more than he wanted to admit. “You’re a child of Hades, you know about death more than anyone. It’s cool. Is that seriously what was bothering you? Octavian?” Will’s pale blue eyes bore into him, and Nico stated down at the ground to avoid his gaze.

“Y-Yeah. That’s it.” Nico lied, and his arms were released and he turned away from the counselor, who didn’t look convinced. “Can we go now?” He asked, starting to walk again. Will followed right beside him, but didn’t press the subject. Instead he started to talk about the infirmary.

“Most of the people from Camp Jupiter will be going home tomorrow. It’ll be busy, making sure they’re fit for travel. Not to mention the people we’ve had to make house calls for will be filling in the vacancies too.” Solace rambled, scratching his head. “At least it’ll be less to worry about after, maybe. Then theres—” 

“ _How_ are you still awake? Can’t you delegate these things for a bit, or something? You need rest too.” Nico interrupted, lifting his head to stare up at the son of Apollo, startled by Nico’s outburst. Then he relaxed, and said _one_ line.

“I’ve got amazing…Will power.” The smug grin and twinkle in his eye immediately told Nico that Will had been waiting to use that line on someone. The fact that it was _him_ seemed to make it even better. 

“I _cannot_ believe you.” Nico huffed, but the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. He couldn’t help it with the way Will was laughing at his reaction. It hid the shadows under his eyes, if only for a moment, and Nico looked away. “Come on.” He said quickly, feeling his face redden from staring for so long. 

They had just reached the Big House, and went inside to the infirmary. For the moment it was calm, unlike the rush from earlier. Most of the occupants were already asleep, and there were the minimum number of healers, the night shift. He thought that didn’t include Will, but as soon the head counselor had walked Nico over to the cot, he was handed papers by another healer. He looked at them, then at Nico. The smile from earlier was gone, replaced with seriousness. 

“Get some sleep, okay? I need to—” Will didn’t get to finish the sentence, being pulled away around the curtain. He only could peek back around for a second and point at Nico to say “Rest!” before disappearing again.

Nico didn’t feel like sleeping, thinking back on the events from today. _Maybe you should stop being mad at yourself_ Will had told him. The way he had made Nico feel better with a single stupid pun. Why did he have to be so…

Nico shoved his face into the pillow. No, he was relieved Will Solace didn’t hate him. Even better, he sounded like he understood. It felt like nobody could understand a child of Hades, that they were people to be avoided. _It's cool._ the son of Apollo had said. Will didn’t care, he didn’t hate him for what happened to Octavian. He wasn’t afraid of him. Nico didn’t know why that meant a lot to him, but it did. 

_Do you have a crush on Will Solace?_ his friends were trying to ask him. No, he didn’t. He had had a crush on Percy Jackson, before, but this was different. Not to mention confusing. As he thought about it, he started to doze and before he knew it he had fallen asleep. 

 

-Day Two-

 

From first light, when the Romans were packing up and heading out, the infirmary was busier than yesterday. Reyna, Hazel, and Frank stopped by to say goodbye to Nico, and he promised to visit soon. Jason had come to help with bringing them to the SUVs, and saying goodbye to his campmates. The son of Jupiter tried speaking with Nico once or twice, but after being dodged the second time he had gotten the idea. Yesterday’s conversation was currently taboo. 

After that, while most of the injured had left back to Camp Jupiter, there were still those that weren’t up to travel yet. On top of that, stretchers were going in and out, bringing in the Half-Blood campers who still needed care to save time going to their cabins. It wasn’t as full and most of the patients weren’t in any immediate danger, but it kept the healers busy, especially Will, who had to overlook it all. 

To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Nico was helping out. He didn’t think offering to help with the injured campers was the best idea, so he stuck with cutting bandages, doing runs for supplies. Even grabbing snacks from the camp store for the healers too busy to leave. Those kinds of things. It was better than sitting around all day, and to his amazement, it was well-received. He barely got any looks., and he wondered why until he saw someone wave him over—the yelling Roman from the other day, who didn’t look happy, and their injured friend. The latter was the one waving while laying down on the cot, but it was his friend that called out to him. 

“Hey di Angelo, come over here a second.”

“Jamie, no.”

Nico crossed his arms, furrowing his brows together, but walked over regardless. A healer hadn’t come by, and the injured one didn’t look to be in pain, so he wasn’t too worried.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, looking at them both for an answer. The friend, Jamie, was about to speak, but the other beat them to it.

“This numbskull thinks I’m not going to make it—”

“Nat, I did _not_ say that!”

“Yes, you did. Anyway, could you settle this?” Now it was Nico’s turn to be stared at, and he realized what they meant. As much as they tried to play it cool, he could tell they were worried about it too. 

“You’re fine.” Nico said with a shrug. “You won’t be dying anytime soon.” The look of relief on both of their faces said enough for him, and he turned to walk away. Not a second later did he catch Will Solace looking at him with a strange look on his face. He thought he could see a blush, but brushed it off as soon as he spoke.

“Having fun playing doctor, di Angelo?”

“Oh, shut it. They asked.” 

“Mhm.”

Somehow, Nico ended up walking beside the Apollo counselor, checking on patients. “You hanging around is good for them, you know?” Will commented while they moved on to the next person. Nico wasn’t convinced of that, and it must’ve shown on his face because Will spoke again. “Think about it, nobody died as soon as you walked through the door. It’s a good sign for them.” He smiled up at Nico while checking a patient’s arm. “Plus you’d be there for them, if they do die here. Wouldn’t you?” 

“Uh.” Nico wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It was presumptuous for the son of Apollo to suggest it, but at the same time he _was_ the son of Hades, god of death. He told Chiron he’d do the burial rites. It only made sense. Still. “I mean…”

“Er...Sorry to put you on the spot like that.” Will interrupted, standing up. Nico looked up to see the smile falter. “We aren’t out of the woods yet, but it’s nice to have you here.” He felt his heart skip a beat, and he watched as Will brightened up.

“So, _Doctor di Angelo_ , are you ready to go check on patients?” Solace said, elbowing him lightly. He didn’t mind, surprisingly. “Since you apparently don’t want to _be_ one today.” 

“You only said no Underworld stuff, Solace.” Nico said, elbowing him back. “Maybe you should be more specific. But I’ll go back to my cot if that’s what you want.” He snarked, and immediately a part of him wished he hadn’t said the last part. But he didn’t need to worry about that.

“Nah. I told you, _I_ like having you around, too.” He heard Will say, but almost right after, the Apollo counselor turned away, hiding his face from Nico’s sight. Regardless, the comment made his chest flutter like in one of those old black and white romance movies. He tried not to show it though.

Together they checked on the rest of the injured campers, with little to no hassle in terms of cooperation and seriousness. Much calmer than the previous day, overall, and it showed by the fact that Will had started to nod off every so often. He must do better hiding it when there was more to do. Just when it was time for dinner, Nico turned to glare up at the son of Apollo, and pointed a finger right in his face, effectively startling him awake and catching his attention.

“You need sleep, or you’ll be walking around like a zombie by tomorrow and won’t be able to help anyone. No night shift for you, got it?” Nico scolded, and Will lifted his hands up and nodded.

“Alright, you got me—it. I got it.” The counselor said, stumbling on his words. “Right to bed, after dinner.”  
“Good, come on.” He thought he heard Will mutter a snarky comment, but whatever it was got shut down by a sharp look from Nico, which in return made Will grin in retaliation. 

The two split up when they reached the pavilion, Nico rejecting the doctor’s note suggestion for the second time. He regretted it for two reasons. One was because he realized he’d be sitting alone at the Hades table, now that Hazel had gone back to Camp Jupiter. He’d been surrounded by company for so long, the idea of being alone for once didn’t seem as appealing as he thought it’d be. The second reason was that he would be sharing the table with Jason, again, but with a twist. Of all the people to be standing by the table, one hand on the surface and the other on her hip, with color-shifting eyes focusing right onto him, was Piper. 

Nico could already feel eyes on him from the Aphrodite kids, wondering why their counselor was waiting to speak to him. But his glare was focused on Jason, and the son of Jupiter looked worried, but not guilty. Instead of dread at the upcoming conversation, he was angry. 

But he promised Will no Underworld stuff. So he settled for sitting down across from him, waiting for food to appear on his plate, but not waiting for either of them to speak, before grabbing a handful of grapes and started chucking them at Jason. 

“Nico—”

“I don’t want to hear it! I cannot believe you—”

“Nico, stop. Jason didn’t tell me anything.” Piper said, halting the grape-throwing. Nico dropped the grapes back onto his plate and crossed his arms. 

“Then who—”

“Hazel, and Annabeth. It wasn’t hard to put it together.” She explained, and Nico slumped in his seat. “Nico, it’s okay to talk to us about these things. We’re you’re friends.” He wasn’t sure if it was charmspeak or not, just the simple truth he had a hard time accepting at points, but he put his hands in his face. 

“I don’t know where to start.” He mumbled, but neither of them said anything. In truth, out of all the conversations to have with the two right now, this was probably the easiest. “It’s not a crush but...”

“But?”

“It’s different.” Nico admitted, pushing his plate away. “I don’t feel like I’d scare him away. He doesn’t hate me…” He scratched at the table surface. “It’s really…”

“Hey, Nico?” A gentle voice said, and a hand on Nico’s shoulder startled him, and he looked right up to see Will Solace looking down at him. The son of Apollo had a look of concern on his face, but was smiling. “I’m going to head back now to get some rest before tomorrow. Everything alright?” Will asked, looking at the three of them. Piper and Jason shrugged with smiles. As if that wasn’t suspicious.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Nico said, and he wondered how long Will had been there, or if he had heard anything. “Go get some sleep, before you need to be carried to bed.” He commented, and the Apollo counselor laughed.

“Okay, okay. I’m going. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

Nico’s shoulder felt colder as soon as Will moved his hand away, and instinctively he put his own hand where it had been. As he did, he looked over at his friends, who were giving him knowing, expectant looks. Then, it clicked for him.

He didn’t have just a crush, no. He, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, well and truly _liked_ Will Solace.  
That night during the bonfire, Piper had pulled him aside to give him an encouraging talk. That was still fresh in his mind as he walked to the Big House, and into the infirmary.

As the days since the battle went, it got quieter. Less patients, more order. Nico looked around the room expecting to see the Apollo counselor in one of the cots still vacant, only to spot him in a chair beside a cot, _his_ cot, half-curled up and sleeping soundly. He still had the doctor coat on, and a clipboard still in hand.

“Idiot.” Nico huffed, pulling the blanket off the bed and putting it around the snoring son of Apollo, taking the clipboard before it slipped from his grasp and putting it beside the lantern on the table. He didn’t move, and Nico sat down on the cot and stared at him in the dim light. 

Will had his face partially hidden from view with his arm, but Nico could see a peaceful expression, possibly the most peace he’s gotten since the battle. The lantern's glow on the bedside made Will’s shaggy blonde hair look gold in the light, truly worthy of a son of Apollo, and he was tempted to reach out and touch it to see if it’d glitter. Nico snapped out of his daze, and rubbed his face. Yeah, he had it bad. 

But his lovestruck expression changed to a glare when he saw one of the other healers approach, no doubt with the intent to wake up the sleep-deprived Will Solace. Not on his watch. Just as he stood up, the feeling hit him.   
“Where are they?” Nico demanded, quietly, and the healer turned and hurried back to where they had been, and he followed after. They reached a cot where two other healers hovered over a patient, a camper he didn’t recognize. The militaristic hairstyle told Nico they were from Camp Jupiter. He was pale, and looked to get paler with every second that went by. Formerly-white cloths were shoved under his abdomen, and blood stained them, the new bandages, and the bed under it, red. Despite the amount of pain he must’ve been in, the boy turned his head to look right at Nico.

“Damn.”

“Yeah.” Nico said, taking a seat on the bedside. He could feel their life force slipping away. Even if Will had been here, there was nothing he could’ve done. “What happened to you?” 

“One of those damned dogs took a couple bites out of me, trying to get to my mates when we were regrouping.” The boy lifted a hand to gesture at his bloodied bandages. Nico took notice of the symbol of Venus on their arm, along with four stripes. “I took a bite out of them, too. If I was a little quicker…” They winced in pain, seeming to falter for a second. _You’d be there for them If they did die here, wouldn’t you?_ Will question rang in his head, and Nico knew the answer. Yes, he would.

“What’s your name?” 

“Cody Jones, Third Cohort.”

“Are your friends—”

“Nah, told them to bugger off. Said that I'd be fine.” Cody laughed softly, shaking his head. Nico watched as tears rolled down the corners of his eyes. “Kind of wish I didn’t, now. I don’t want to die. Not here, not alone.” Their body shook with pain and the sobs. “I can’t…” 

“You aren’t alone.” Nico said, unexpectedly taking their hand. It was colder than his own. “Cody Jones, son of Venus. You risked your life to keep your friends safe. That’s pure love, Venus would be proud of you, and your friends will know and remember that.” He said calmly, and as if on cue, the other two Romans, Nat and Jamie, walked over to the other side of the bed. Nat held his other hand, and neither spoke. They might not be in the same cohort, he didn’t ask, or even be friends, but it seemed to calm down the dying boy. “You fought long after the battle to live, like a true Roman, but you don’t need to anymore. You’re going to go to Elysium, without a doubt. You can rest easy, knowing that.” Cody took a last deep breath, and Nico felt the hand in his go limp with his passing. The three demigods and the healers around them bowed their heads, staying silent for a time. It was Jamie that spoke first.

“When we get back, we'll let his cohort and friends know.”

Nico only nodded, standing up and walking away from the cot so the healers could take over. He was staring at the floor when he notice familiar flip flops in front of him. Looking up, he saw Will Solace, who had been awake and watching the whole thing. Though he could see sadness in the son of Apollo’s eyes, a soft smile graced his face.  
“You did pretty good.” Will said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “I should get you your own doctor’s coat. What do you think?”

“Haha.” Nico muttered as they walked. “It couldn’t of been avoided. Still sucks, though.” He was surprised when Will put an arm around him unhesitantly, but didn’t pull away. They walked back to the cot. 

“Yeah, it does. Such is the life of a demigod. But what you did?” The two sat down on the cot, and Will continued. “That takes a lot of strength.” Nico thought of Will having to do that, over and over after the battle, before Nico was here. A lot of strength. “I—” Will paused, clearing his throat and glancing away briefly. “I mean, let me know if you need anything.”

_“You know, Nico.” Piper said, halting him just as he was leaving for the night. “Did you ever think that Will_ might _like you too?”_

Nico hadn’t really considered it at the time. After all, who could like him? _You’re so dense._ Will had said before. Thinking on it now, and seeing how the son of Apollo was looking at him. Nico dared to be hopeful.   
Will still had an arm around Nico, comforting him quietly. He didn’t know how to respond to the gesture, not really, so he settled with resting his head against the son of Apollo’s shoulder.

“Thanks.” Was all he could really think to say.

 

-Day Three-

 

Nico was pretty sure that he was the most surprised that he was still around, when it came to the third day of his stay in the infirmary. With the last of the Romans returning to Camp Jupiter, and more than half of the rest of the infirmary occupants well enough to return to their own cabins, it was due for a clean-up day. Changing out cot canvases, cleaning sheets and blankets. 

Will was taking note of what supplies they had, and what they still needed to stock up on. Now that the infirmary wasn’t busy, the camp planned to resume their war games by next week. Nico thought he’d seen the head counselor for the Apollo cabin tired, he was pretty sure Will Solace was ready to drop. Though he said he had gotten enough sleep last night, a few hours between the end of dinner and when he had woken up to watch Nico comfort the dying Roman—he had been called away just moments after comforting Nico himself, and spent the rest of the night checking everyone and everything over. Now, just before noon he was still working.

“I’m almost done.” Solace had kept saying. Nico stopped believing him after the third time. The last straw was when the Apollo counselor was sitting down, taking a break while it was still early. A healer had gone up to Will to ask for help with something minor. _Minor_.

“No.” Nico butted in, glaring daggers at them. “There’s plenty other people here that can help you.” He took the papers away from Will, and handed them back to the other healer. The look he gave was enough to send them scurrying away. Beside him, Will blinked a few times as if registering what just happened.

“Nico?” He didn’t look at Will, instead Nico grabbed his hand and led him right out of the infirmary. He could feel eyes on them while they walked, but he didn’t care. Nico was on a mission, leading Will down the path to the cabins. He didn’t stop until they reached the cabin, glimmering gold in the sunlight, and even then, he immediately pulled the head of the cabin inside. Several campers looked at them from their bunks on either side of the cabin, but Nico turned his attention to Will.

“Where’s your bed?” Nico asked, and he looked to where Will pointed. The bottom of one of the bunk beds, in the center of the cabin. It was one of the few without an instrument on it—though there was a case for an acoustic guitar under the bunk—and the only one with a curtain. Perks of being the head counselor, he guessed. Behind it was several photos, of his cabinmates and a lady who he guessed was Will’s mom, taped to the white wall. 

Without delay, Nico pulled Will over, the son of Apollo looking dazed and confused as he was made to sit on the bed. “Listen here, Solace.” He started, pointing a finger right in his face. “ _You_ are overdue for sleep. Not naps at the dinner table, not falling asleep doing paperwork in a chair. _Sleep_. In your _own_ bed.” Nico ordered. “Be a little selfish, take as much care of yourself as you do for others.” 

“Nico, come on.” Will argued. “I was almost done, let me just—” Nico shushed him. “I need to—” Another shush.

“I’m not hearing it. You and your _Will power_ are staying right here until dinner, and that’s final.” He stated, and although Will was unaffected by his threatening manner, his tiredness betrayed him and he nodded in agreement, laying down on the bunk and then smiled up at him cheekily.

“Does that mean you’ll be sitting with me at dinner?” 

Will didn’t get an answer, because Nico pulled the curtain shut on him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, ducking out of the cabin as soon as he realized all the eyes on him. He rubbed the red off his face, and even more people looked his way as he hurried back to the infirmary. Despite the embarrassment—he had _held_ Will Solace’s hand, pulled him down the path to the cabins, for a fair amount of the camp to see—a promise was a promise.

By the time Nico got back, there was little to nothing to be done. So instead he sat on the cot he had occupied the past two days, and thought to himself. He had to admit it would be strange to not have to stay here. Not seeing the Apollo counselor for hours every day. But that…He didn’t want that to happen.

Pretending to be sick to hang out with the boy he liked? No. That was cliché, and this was _not_ one of Aphrodite’s love stories. Nico knew he had to face it. He put a hand on his arm, and shook his head. He _really_ hated Cupid, but remember what he said, what Jason had said. He liked Will Solace, he didn’t want to be embarrassed about it, hide from it. The time for that was over. Not to mention maybe, just maybe, Will liked him too. Nico hoped that wasn’t a big maybe.

A small folded piece of paper was held in front of Nico’s face, and he looked up to see one of the Apollo kids.  
“Will wanted me to give this to you.” They explained, and hurried out after Nico took the paper. He flipped it open.

_Doctor’s note for: Nico di Angelo_

_Assigned by: Will Solace_

_Expiration date: Never_

_Nico has permission to sit at the Apollo table so I may keep an eye on his health._

The doctor’s note made Nico smile, and he held it tightly for a second before putting the note safely in his pocket. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet, and the note might very well be nulled soon enough. The thought filled him with dread, and he pushed it away. No, he couldn’t think like that. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood up. There were still hours left before dinner and the bonfire, and Nico had no intention of spending the time between then and now talking himself out of it. 

instead he took the opportunity and went to work with other healers, and so by the time the bell rang everything in the infirmary was done. Everyone, in turn, was tired. Not nearly as tired as Will had been, but still so. Without the Apollo counselor to be there to take the harder duties, and with Nico giving orders—who could argue with a son of Hades, especially one with a spare doctor’s coat? They left with haste, the usual few staying to keep an eye on the remaining patients.

Nico followed the rest out, but he turned and went toward the cabins instead of the pavilion. He spotted a few Apollo kids heading past him, but Will wasn’t among them. The campers he stopped to question told him that their brother was still asleep, and Nico headed into the cabin. There were only a couple Apollo kids still inside, but they were on their way out, leaving him alone with Will.

The curtain was still closed when Nico walked over, and he could hear soft snoring. Quietly, he pulled it open to see Will Solace sleeping soundly on the bunk, still fully dressed—doctor’s coat and flip flops included. He was sleeping on his side with his pillow being held in one arm like a teddy bear, and Nico couldn’t help but smile a little. He looked much more peaceful than he had been while sleeping on a chair, and Nico was pretty sure he'd sleep for hours, or even another day, if he was allowed. Nico wanted to, but instead he sat down beside the sleeping counselor, and shook his arm gently to wake him up.

“Will?” Nico said, and he got a grumble in return. “It’s time for dinner. Wake up.” He watched the son of Apollo stretch, rolling over as he did to face Nico. Pale blue eyes opened and looked right up at him, blinking a few times and mumbling something under his breath and smiling. “What?”

“Nothing.” Will said, sitting up and rubbing his face. He seemed to only just register what Nico said, his eyes widening. “Is it really dinner already?” Nico nodded, giving him room to get off the bunk and stretch again. “Geez.” He mumbled, and paused, looking him up and down. 

“…What?” Nico asked, following his gaze down at himself. He didn’t think anything was wrong, but the staring made him self-conscious, and now Will was looking at him with a proud grin. “What!” 

“Nice coat.” Oh. “No, wait.” Nico had started to take it off when Will stopped him, grabbing his hands. He could’ve sworn he felt a spark, but Will was no son of Zeus, despite the similarities to Jason. The son of Apollo looked to have felt the same thing, or something, because his hands twitched away for a moment before reaffirming their hold on Nico’s, and spoke again, softly. “It looks good on you, really. Keep it.” 

“R—Really? Isn’t it—” Nico stammered, lowering his head to stare down at the ground. The combination of the hand holding and compliment causing him to blush a bit too visibly for his own liking. But it was just them in the cabin. Just him, alone with the guy he liked.

“Don’t worry about it. You look perfect.” Nico heard him say, and his head snapped up to stare. Will looked like his normal self again, calm and relaxed and not the overworked, sleep-deprived boy he had seen the past few days. He was smiling brightly down at Nico, a genuine, warm smile, with a blush of his own—not as visible as Nico’s, maybe—on his face. They stared for a moment longer before Nico snapped both of them out of it with a realization.

“We’re late.” He stated, and it took Will a second to register what he meant.

“…Oh! We should, uh…”

“Go.”

“Yeah.”

They pulled their hands away, hurrying out of the cabin. Nico didn’t look at him, trying to will away the blush with his hand on his face as they walked to the pavilion in silence. It was only broken when they were about to reach the tables, and Will spoke.

“Did you get the note?”

“Oh, uh. Yeah, I did.” Nico said, and then he hesitated, putting a hand in the pocket that had the doctors note. “I um.” He caught sight of Piper at the Aphrodite table, then looked up at Will. “Go sit, I’ll be right back.” He didn’t wait for a reply before shuffling away to speak with his friend. Ignoring the looks and whispers of the other Aphrodite kids as he walked up, he tapped Piper on the shoulder to get her attention.

“Nico? What’s up?”

“I…” Nico started to say, but stopped when he felt all the eyes of her tablemates on him. She seemed to get it, and stood up. They walked some little ways away from Piper’s gossipy siblings before he continued. “I want to ask Will out. But I don’t really…I’ve never asked someone out before.” He admitted, but the Aphrodite counselor didn’t look so surprised. 

“Alright, well let’s take it slowly okay? Don’t over think it. You think he likes you?” Nico nodded. “Then just ask him out.” Piper suggested. The simple advice threw him off guard, and she added reassuringly “It’s Will, the worst he’d do is say no, and he probably won’t.”

“I guess…”

“Hey.” Piper put her hands on his arms, giving him a more serious look. “You like him, you want to be with him?” She asked, and Nico hesitated briefly before giving her a nod. “Then focus on that, and when the time is right, just go for it.”

“Just…go for it?”

“Just go for it.” Piper repeated. He wasn’t sure that she was using charmspeak, but it gave him a confidence boost all the same.

“Okay. Yeah.” Nico said. “I’m going to ask him at the bonfire.” He decided, looking up at the Aphrodite counselor. “Thanks Piper.” 

“Don’t thank me.” Piper said with a smile. “It’s all you, Nico.” She ruffled his hair, and he got the feeling of talking to one of his sisters, or Reyna. Considering he and Piper hadn’t been that close on the _Argo II_ , it was strange but it made him feel better all the same. What Nico did next was unexpected; he hugged her. It was a surprise to both of them, but the hug was returned.

“Thanks.” Nico said again, stepping back. “Wish me luck.” He held a hand up for a high five, and Piper accepted it.

“Good luck.”

With that, he headed toward the Apollo table. Everyone was chatting, enjoying dinner, when Nico came over. Will sat at the far end, not napping but talking with his siblings, only stopping when he spotted Nico walking over. Room on the bench beside the counselor was made for him to sit, which he did. They didn’t stare, none really looking surprised, and some of them even said hi, and welcomed him to their table. Nico wondered if Will told them about the note. Probably, considering all of them resumed their previous conversations after a moment, as if it was normal for the son of Hades to be sitting with them. It was…nice. Will was the only one who still was paying attention to him.

“Finally joining us?” Will asked, and Nico scoffed.

“Yeah, now that I know I won’t have to listen to your snoring while I’m eating.” He retorted, causing the son of Apollo to get red around the ears in embarrassment, several of his siblings hearing it and laughing.

“Maybe if you sat with me, I would of stayed awake.” Will said, but the peanut gallery said otherwise, and their older sibling cleared his throat. While they once more went back to their conversations, Will looked back to Nico and changed the subject. “What did you need to talk to Piper about?” Oh. 

“Nothing.” He blurted, and it earned him an unconvinced look.

“Right. So why is the cabin looking over here like a special edition of Gossip Girl?”

“What?” Nico didn’t understand, but he followed where Will pointed, and he immediately knew what he meant. The part of the table closest to the Apollo table were staring at him, whispering to each other, but it wasn’t just that. They were pointing at some of the Apollo kids and talking to one another, getting a nod or a shake of the head in return from their siblings. Piper was trying to get them to stop, from what he could see, to no avail. The way they oggled him made him both self-conscious and angry, so much that it only took Nico standing up and giving them one Hades-worthy glare to scare them into stopping. 

“Hey.” On the same note, all it took was a warm hand on his to get him to sit back down and look back at Will, who hand his brows raised. “You do still have a few hours before your three days are up, so don’t go trying to send them to the Underworld.” The Apollo counselor chided, and Nico pulled his hand away. 

“I wasn’t! They’re just…ugh.”

“Annoying teenagers?”

“Yes!” Nico said, putting his hands in his face. “Maybe I should—”

“Go? No.” Will crossed his arms, but pointed a finger at Nico. “You’d then be _alone_ with them staring at you, pointing at us. They’ll gossip either way. You just need to ignore it.” Nico gave him a skeptical look. “Let’s talk about something else, then.” One of the Apollo kids at the table brought up the upcoming chariot race.

“Maybe you should join us, Nico.”

“Like a secret weapon!”

“Yeah, di Angelo. We’d totally win!” Echoes of agreement and strategies went through the table, and Nico couldn’t help but smirk at the idea, considering who usually won at the chariot races.

“I’d be up for it.”

The cheers from the Apollo table might’ve been a bit too loud, because it wasn’t just the Aphrodite cabin looking at them now. Thankfully, Chiron standing up silenced the lot of them as he began the usual toast.

After giving thanks to the gods via leftovers, all the campers went to enjoy the bonfire. Nico feared that he’d be swarmed by the children of Aphrodite as soon as they saw him, but he spotted them first and started moving away, planning on finding Will when he heard a gasp, and a hand grabbed his.

“Wha—”

“Shh. Come on.”

Will Solace led him away from imminent danger at the hands of Aphrodite's children, on the complete other side of the bonfire. They both sat down on a bench further back, away from prying eyes while being able to tell if someone was approaching. Beside him, Will laughed. “That was close. Pretty sure they were five seconds away from finding you.”

“Oh.” Was all Nico could say, both relieved and nervous. But he needed to snap out of it. “Hey, Will?”

“Yeah?”

“I…” Nico stopped shaking his head. He remembered Piper’s words. He liked Will, Will _might_ like him back. He just had to go for it. He stood up, somewhat alarming the son of Apollo. “After those three days in the infirmary, I think _you_ owe _me_ something.” Will said nothing, waiting for him to continue. Nico wavered for a second. _Just go for it._ “A date.”

“A date?” Will repeated, the expression on his face becoming unreadable. Nico felt regret immediately in that moment, the confidence he had vanishing. 

“Uh—sorry. I shouldn’t have…I’m going to—” Nico stuttered, and turned away. Just as he was about to walk, maybe run, away, Will grabbed his hand for the second time, tugging him back to sit down beside him. 

“You think you can ask me that and then go running off? Seriously.” Will said, looking a bit annoyed. Nico’s confusion must’ve been clear on his face. “You think I'd say _no_?” Wait.

“Wait, so you…”

“You really are dense. Yes.” Will squeezed his hand gently, and his next words had all the worries Nico had before disappearing. “I would love to go on a date with you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” Will confirmed, and he chuckled. “And here I thought I was going to have to ask you.” He did look relieved too, Nico noted, but then it clicked. 

“ _Wait_.” He started to say. “How long have you—”

“A while.” 

“A while!” Nico repeated. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” He demanded, watching the son of Apollo lift his free hand and shrug. He didn’t look too bothered by Nico’s sudden outburst, calm as usual as he answered the question.

“I thought it was obvious.”

“You thought—you—!” His face turned red in both embarrassment and anger. _You’re so dense_. He wasn’t going to admit that. Instead, he pulled his hand away from Will’s, and shoved him off the bench. He only laughed, getting back up on the bench while Nico covered his face. He wasn’t sure whether to cry, or be angry or happy. While he was trying to decide that, the son of Apollo grabbed his hands and pulled them down from his face.

“Hey. It’s okay.” Will said calmly. “I wasn’t going to leave you hanging, I just didn’t want to put you on the spot is all. I wasn’t sure if _you_ liked _me_ until the other day.” He explained, and Nico looked down at their hands. 

“So you really…it’s not you agreeing just to be nice, or whatever it is you do?” He couldn’t tell if Will was offended or not, but the son of Apollo shook his head.

“Tomorrow, I’ll meet you at your cabin and we can go on that date.” It wasn’t a question, or a demand, the way he said it. It was reassurance, simply, that Will was genuine, and not pulling his leg. The blush on his face was nowhere as visible as Nico’s, but to him it was clear as day. “Maybe after, if you wanted we could again, another time. Sound good?”

“Yes.” Nico answered, maybe a little too quickly. Going on a date with Will Solace…It wasn’t what he expected after three days in the infirmary, but in all honesty he was happy—more than he’d been in a long time. The two of them sat together on the bench for the duration of the bonfire in silence, enjoying each other’s company up until they had to go to their respective cabins for the night.


End file.
